Berkeley Man Bilked Out Of $4,000 In Phone Fraud Scam: Police Chief

Don't fall for this scam. An Amherst Drive man did and he's out $4,000.

It all began when the man called Berkeley police at 7:48 p.m. on May 31 and told them he had received a call from a restricted number. He told Patrolman Alexander Houle that a man identifying himself as his brother told him he had been in a car accident, needed help or he would go to jail, Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele said.

The victim said the man sounded like his brother, asked the caller if he was his brother and the caller said yes. The caller handed the phone over to another man who said he was his brother's attorney. The so-called attorney told the victim his brother was facing jail time for the accident he caused, but that the other person involved was willing to settle for $4,000, the chief said.

The man then told the victim to go buy two $2,000 Best Buy gift cards, for a total of $4,000. The victim bought the cards and gave the male caller the pin numbers, DiMichele said.

He later found out that there was no car accident and that his brother was fine.

"Anyone receiving these calls should not disclose personally identifying, should not send money or other forms of payment and should not follow any other instructions pertaining to transferring personal finances," DiMichele said

Image: Patch file photo